BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A hot start and a gutsy finish lifted No. 6 seed Montana State Billings past No. 2 seed No. 23 Central Washington 79-75 on Friday afternoon at Sam Carver Gym, as the Yellowjackets advanced to the title game of the 2026 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championships.
 
GNAC Freshman of the Year Cassie Chesnut led all players with a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double, Kaitlin Grossman had 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals and Kyla Momberg produced 11 points, a season-high nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals.
 
The Yellowjackets (19-14) will play for the GNAC Championships title on Saturday at 5 p.m. (Pacific), facing the winner of No. 5 seed Western Oregon and No. 1 seed Western Washington who square off in Friday’s other semifinal contest. It will be MSUB’s fifth appearance in the GNAC Championship title game, with its lone win coming in 2018 and losses coming in 2016, 2023 and 2024. MSUB is the second No. 6 seed since the tournament was formed in 2011 to advance to the championship game, joining Saint Martin’s which was defeated in last year’s title tilt.
 
Central Washington moved to 23-6 with the defeat, suffering its first neutral-site loss of the year (5-1). The Wildcats’ season will likely continue at next week’s NCAA West Region Championships, as CWU entered the week as the top-ranked women’s basketball team in the west region. Annalee Coronado matched her season high with 24 points, making 10 of 20 shots including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Kayla Thornton shattered her previous season high of 12 points, turning in 19 to go along with four rebounds, two steals and two assists. GNAC Player of the Year Asher Cai contributed 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, and second-team selection Capri Sims narrowly missed a double-double with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Coronado hit a long three at the 1:20 mark in the game, keeping CWU alive and cutting the deficit to 78-74. It proved to be the Wildcats’ final bucket of the game however, as MSUB played sound defense down the stretch. Momberg sealed the win with her fifth and final steal of the afternoon, intercepting the Wildcats’ final inbound pass with three seconds left on the clock.
 
The Yellowjackets started the game on a 6-0 run, with Tailey Harris completing a four-point play that sparked a loud cheer and early energy from her team’s bench. The lead extended to 12-2 after MSUB dominated the first five minutes. The Wildcats came out of the first timeout of the game with newfound energy, generating a 10-second back-court turnover which led to their first bucket in more than three minutes. Cai knocked down her first three of the game to help spark the CWU offense, but the Yellowjackets maintained a 16-11 advantage after the first quarter.
 
Four consecutive threes by Coronado, two by Cai and Thornton shaved the deficit down to 34-32 as the Wildcats embarked on a 12-4 run late in the second quarter. The Wildcats finished the quarter on a tear, ending up 8-for-17 from the arc in the opening half to trail just 41-40 at the break.
 
MSUB’s Rae Smart knocked down a corner three with four minutes to go in the third, nudging the Yellowjackets back in front 52-51. Momberg came through with a steal and then connected on an open look from 3-point range, giving the Yellowjackets their first double-digit lead since the first quarter at 74-63. MSUB protected a lead that hovered in the 6-8 point range into the fourth, withstanding the Wildcats’ comeback effort.
 
The Yellowjackets shot 46.9% (30-for-64), made 6 of 22 threes (27.3%) and knocked down 13 of 20 free throws (65.0%). The ‘Jackets out-rebounded the Wildcats 42-38 and posted their third-highest assist total of the season with 22. Smart finished with 12 points and six rebounds and Harris delivered 11 points. The ‘Jackets relied on their starting lineup for all of the offense, winning the game with zero bench points. Central Washington shot 35.7% (25-for-70) overall, 35.7% (10-for-28) from 3-point range and made all 14 of its free throws.
 
GAME NOTES: Momberg’s previous season high in assists was six…Chesnut’s double-double was her 10th of the season and it was her seventh 20-point game…Chesnut was three points off her season high of 27 points…Cai, the GNAC’s all-time leading scorer, upped her four-year total to 2,209 points…Friday was Thornton’s fourth time reaching double figures in a game…MSUB got its first win of the season over CWU, as the Wildcats won each of the regular-season contests…it was the fourth time the teams met at the GNAC Championships, with MSUB improving to a perfect 4-0 against CWU in tournament contests…CWU made its 11th conference tournament appearance and moved to 8-10 all-time at the event…MSUB is in the tournament for the 12th time and upped its all-time GNAC Championships record to 11-10.
 
REGIONAL RANKINGS: Central was the top-ranked west region team entering the tournament, while the Yellowjackets entered the week unranked regionally. The top-eight teams in the final rankings, which are announced on Sunday, will earn spots in next week’s NCAA West Region Championships hosted by the No. 1 overall seed.